Gareth Steenson booted Exeter to victory and left Cardiff Blues’ European hopes in the balance.

Chiefs fly-half Steenson kicked 14 points, while opposite number Gareth Davies missed a later equaliser as Cardiff fell short in front of a record Arms Park crowd of 12,125.

A losing bonus point leaves Cardiff hoping Munster beat Edinburgh at Thomond Park today to clinch a place in the quarter-finals of the Amlin Cup.

Blues director of rugby Phil Davies said: ‘Yes, we have to rely on other people but after what’s gone on this year and the way the squad have been disrupted, it’s a great credit to the players to still be in with a shout.’

Out on a high: Exeter's Kai Horstmann (right) celebrates their Heineken Cup win over Cardiff with Ceri Sweeney

True boot: Chiefs kicker Gareth Steenson accounted for 14 of his side's points from the tee

Cardiff trailed 13-0 after 23 minutes
to Don Armand’s fourth-minute try. But Alex Cuthbert scorched over from
distance for his 14th European try and Leigh Halfpenny kicked Cardiff on
level terms in the second half.

Exeter
ended the game with 14 men after Dave Lewis was binned but Halfpenny
and Davies both fired wide before Steenson settled the tie.

Davies
said: ‘Exeter started like a train but we got ourselves back into the
game, we just didn’t have the control to finish them off.